In the residential market, it can be difficult to differentiate products. However, a new product has entered the scene: a residential heating appliance that can create electricity from the energy it's already using to create the heat. It's a collaboration between Climate Energy LLC and American Honda Motor Co.
All energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) can leak from one airstream to the other. ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2004, "Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality," Addendum y, answers common questions such as, "How much ERV cross leakage is acceptable when the exhaust air is from a restroom?"
You're bidding on a customer's replacement A/C unit. You know the home has some improvements since the last unit was installed - new windows, a new roof and insulation, or better flooring. Which of these improvements will have the most impact on their system's cooling load?
Becoming TAB certified can give a major boost to a tech's career, as well as a contractor's bottom line. According to the Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing Bureau (TABB) of the National Energy Management Institute Committee (NEMIC), "The purpose of TAB is to ensure that an HVAC system is providing maximum occupant comfort at the lowest energy cost possible."
The goal of the new Carbon Monoxide Safety Association (COSA) is to raise CO awareness at all levels of the building community, including occupants and servicers, and to provide training, information, and additional tools to provide safe work and home environments.
"Addenda" is not a word that fires the imagination. Nevertheless, the addenda to ASHRAE Standard 62-2001, "Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality," will have a major impact on HVAC contractors, especially those who work in commercial system design. Key changes to the standard reflect advanced understanding of air quality, moisture, air distribution, and the building as a system.
For many contractors and service techs, ultraviolet (UV) lights have become a much more common system accessory. They have certainly piqued the interest of residential and commercial consumers. This article explains the basics of UV light.
This installment of "System Mysteries" invites readers to diagnose a home's indoor air quality (IAQ) problems and respond with a solution to this troubleshooting question.
Mechanical system code requirements are often based on standards developed by ASHRAE. Ventilation and indoor air quality (IAQ) systems are no exception. So, when ASHRAE announces changes to its low-rise and high-rise ventilation and IAQ standards, HVAC contractors need to listen up.